The RoboDog is the size of an adult Labrador and is powerful enough to raise itself from the ground carrying a five-year old child. Its sophisticated motor capabilities and balancing software allow it to climb obstacles and perform handstands, and its motion and color detection sensors enable it to find and kick a football. It connects to the Internet via a wireless network, and can be controlled from a PC. It can also recognize sixty oral commands.
Production versions of the RoboDog will allow owners to view locations remotely via an on-board camera or have the RoboDog access and read aloud e-mails. The RoboDog is 820mm long, 670mm tall and 370 mm wide and thanks to its advanced carbon-fibre and Kevlar construction, it weighs only 12kg (26 lbs) and can operate independently for 1.5 hours.
The manufacturers intend to licence elements of the RoboDog technology to companies in fields as diverse as industrial automation, special effects, security and military services. Mark Oates adds, "For companies struggling with the limitations of current robotics technology, this is - quite literally - tomorrow's world today! This RoboDog also proves that legged robots can now have the size and power to perform in high-risk environments, whether that is a power station or a mine-field. After all, the loss of a robot is an inconvenience; the death of a human being is a tragedy."